Snake venom action: Are enzymes involved in it?

Summary

Enzymes were the first clearly recognized components of snake venoms. When several more were discovered, attempts were made to correlate venom action with enzymic functions. The last few years have seen most successful efforts in the identification, isolation and structural elucidation of highly toxic polypeptides present in snake venoms, in particular of ‘neurotoxins’ and membrane-active toxins. Following this development the polypeptides were called the true toxic components and the enzymes lost their previous central position in venom pharmacology. The time, therefore, has come to re-evaluate the role of enzymes in the complex interaction between snake and prey. While highly active polypeptides indeed dominate the action of hydrophiid venoms, they appear to play a lesser role in crotalid venom action as compared with enzyme components. Enzymes are involved in many levels of venom action, e. g. by serving as spreading factors, of by producing very active agents, such as bradykinin and lysolecithins in tissues of preys or predators. Some toxins, e. g. the membrane-active polypeptides appear to participate in the interaction between membrane phospholipids and venom phospholipases. The classical neurotoxin, β-bungarotoxin, has been recognized as a powerful phospholipase. Several instances are known which indicate that some enzymes potentiate the toxic action of others; the analysis of a single enzyme may, therefore, not fully reveal its biofunction. For 3 enzymes, ophidianl-amino acid oxidase, ATPpyrophosphatase, and acetylcholinesterase, some of the problems pertaining to venom toxicity are discussed.